Beau Willimon has learned a key characteristic to succeeding in both politics and entertainment : not revealing too much .

The `` House of Cards '' creator , show runner and primary writer talks freely about his show , which concerns a powerful South Carolina congressman , Francis Underwood -LRB- Kevin Spacey -RRB- , and his maneuvers to get his way in the conniving world of Washington . But ask Willimon something basic , such as the premiere date of the popular Netflix series ' second season , and he offers an elegant `` no comment . ''

`` I ca n't give you that tidbit right now , unfortunately , '' the former campaign aide says in a phone interview with CNN , occasionally straining to be heard over the roar of military helicopters .

But Willimon , 35 , is willing to talk about plenty of other things : the show 's Emmy nominations -- including best drama -- the value of power , the balance between idealism and cynicism and who some of his models are . The Oscar-nominated producer and playwright -LRB- his `` Farragut North '' was turned into the George Clooney film `` Ides of March '' -RRB- talked to CNN last week . The following is an edited version of the interview .

CNN : Were you surprised by the Emmy recognition ?

Beau Willimon : I always keep my expectations pretty low . I believed and I know everyone on our team believed we had done a good job and we were curious to see whether the television academy agreed , and we were thrilled when they did . That 's the icing on the cake , and it tastes pretty good .

Netflix joins the Emmy club

CNN : How much of your political experience has shaped `` House of Cards '' ?

Willimon : My jobs on campaigns were pretty low on the totem pole -- I was an advance man . But a number of my friends , including my best friend , Jay Carson , who is a political consultant on the show , were in the upper tiers and really knew what was going on . -LRB- Also , -RRB- I built up a lot of relationships in D.C. and the political world in general , and I draw from that all the time . And when any of my friends are n't sure about something , they usually know the person who is .

It 's a rough-and-tumble game whenever power is involved -- people 's ambitions , their desires , their competitive spirit will often push them to play outside the rules . It 's dramatic , it 's interesting , and I think it 's something we can all identify with to a degree .

CNN : Some rule-breaking on the show seems par for the course , and some might be beyond the pale .

Willimon : Well , beyond the pale ethically for most people , sure . But not beyond the pale in terms of reality . That 's an extreme version , but in the history of humanity , a lot of heads have rolled in order for people to ascend to the throne .

CNN : What sources have you relied on ?

Willimon : Inspiration is drawn from books like -LRB- Robert Caro 's LBJ biography and Jeremy Larner 's `` Nobody Knows '' -RRB- , and other times it 's talking to people who worked in that world . I really do n't think it 's a show about politics at all . It 's a show about power . And that power is displayed in our love lives , or our work environments , the way we comport ourselves when randomness brushes up against us .

CNN : Francis often says that he prefers power over money . Do you have any personal views on that , given the influence money has in D.C. nowadays ?

Willimon : There 's certainly a lot of overlap , right ? To a degree , money is a form of power . But I think the differentiation he 's drawing is what the end goal is . For some people the end goal is money . And then you see people like Francis who do n't deny the importance of money , but that 's not the reason he gets up in the morning . Money is finite , it 's limited by a number and what you can buy with it . Power has no limits if you 're willing to go far enough in order to get as much of it as you can .

CNN : I wanted good things to happen to certain characters . They did n't . I can be a cynic but I guess I want to be an idealist . Is the show cynical ?

Willimon : I do n't consider myself to be a cynic nor the show to be cynical . In fact , Francis Underwood is an optimist . Where I think people mistake his optimism for cynicism is that he 's unapologetically self-interested . He believes ideology is a form of weakness -- a form of cowardice . It hems you in in ways that do n't allow you to be flexible . And inflexibility is anathema to progress .

The problem with Washington right now is that people are too stuck to their ideology . When you have both parties who will not find ways to compromise , who wo n't meet in the middle , you have paralysis . It 's the perversion of idealism . I think what Francis has done is liberate himself from belief systems altogether . He says , I 've got people over here who think this , and people over there who think that . I 'm going to find ways -- whether it 's through persuasion or seduction or intimidation or blackmail , whatever my tactics are -- to make sure everyone moves forward .

I think that 's attractive to people . One of the comments we often get is people root for Francis because he actually gets things done . He makes an argument for the ends justifying the means .

CNN : Have you gotten much reaction from the actual denizens of Washington ?

Willimon : Sure . A lot of people in Washington have watched the show and think it 's one of the more authentic portrayals they 've ever seen . We definitely push the limits of probability , but everything that happens on the show is more or less plausible . And we do n't shy away from the nuts and bolts and nitty-gritty of what it takes to get things done . And sometimes it 's ugly .

CNN : I do find the sausage-making ugly . When I watch the show , and Francis talks about `` looking weak , '' I 'd be the person he 's talking about .

Willimon : Francis is an extreme example because he says , I do n't have ideals in the traditional sense . I think he sees an intransigent belief system as a form of cowardice because it dictates your behavior for you . You do n't have to make hard choices , you do n't have to come up with solutions , you do n't have to compromise , you do n't have to think outside the box . That 's like a sanctioned form of impotence that has the appearance of strength , but not if you scratch the surface .

CNN : Do you think that news media play too much of a role in making that impotence look strong , because they enjoy conflict ?

Willimon : That 's an interesting question . I do n't think that the media actually has the power to determine the course of history . What the media does is respond to narratives that are already coursing through the nation 's system . Conflict always makes for a good story , and stories that interest people will always rise to the top of the headlines . But I just see that as a function of the media doing what it has always done since the first leaflet was printed -- trying to find its audience and keep them engaged .

CNN : Does the binge-watching aspect affect the way you write it or make it ?

Willimon : It 's sort of yes and no . When I first began season 1 , we had not made a decision that we would release all 13 episodes at once . So I wrote it thinking it has to be able to work both ways . What affected the writing most was knowing we had two seasons guaranteed before I even started . I knew we had 26 hours , and there were things I could lay into the very beginning of season 1 that would n't boomerang back to the very end of season 2 . So it 's knowing you have such a large canvas to paint on .

CNN : Is there any political figure or artistic figure you see as a model ?

Willimon : There are so many . In terms of political figures , someone we keep going back to for inspiration is LBJ . I do n't necessarily say he 's a model for me -- there are aspects of the way he conducted business that I find admirable and others I find abhorrent . -LRB- But -RRB- I think there 's so much to be gained by digging into this life story . It 's an epic American story that happens to be real .

As far as models in the arts , one would be the screenwriter William Goldman , who 's a friend and mentor of mine . The thing about Bill that 's so extraordinary , besides the fact he 's had a career that 's spanned half a century , he continues to keep challenging himself . In a similar vein I would say Ken Burns . There you have someone who has such a singular vision and really stuck to it . The documentary world is a tough racket . The ability to make documentaries that are not only so epic and thorough and artful , but have them reach mainstream audiences -- I find it to be not short of miraculous .

CNN : We saw bits of Frank 's roots in the first season . Are we going to see more in season 2 ?

Willimon : I wish I could tell you , but I 'm not going to . You 'll have to watch and see .

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Netflix 's `` House of Cards '' is up for nine Emmys

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Show 's creator , Beau Willimon , currently at work on season 2

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`` Cards '' follows the machinations of a congressman , Francis Underwood

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Show has been a critical and popular success